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Lisbon and its suburbs on the River Tagus, photographed from the International Space Station (Image: NASA)

Solar Eclipse 2027 in Portugal: What You'll See on 2 August, and How to Reach Totality

On Monday 2 August 2027 all of Portugal sees a deep partial solar eclipse in the morning, but nowhere in the country gets totality. The Algarve comes closest, with about 99% of the Sun covered in Faro, Tavira and Sagres; Lisbon gets about 93% and Porto about 83%, with the maximum at about 09:45 everywhere on the mainland. For the real thing, the nearest totality is around Cádiz in Spain, roughly 310 km and three hours' drive from Faro, where the sky goes dark for about 3 minutes (and for 4½ minutes near Tarifa). Below: times and coverage for every district capital, the Algarve and the islands, a map, and how to reach the path of totality from Portugal.

Last updated: 3 November 2026 (facts checked 29 October 2026)

Will the 2027 eclipse be total in Portugal?

No. The path of totality crosses the Atlantic south of Portugal, misses Madeira and Porto Santo by about 70 km (according to eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson) and reaches land in Spain, in the province of Cádiz. Portuguese media said the same after last summer's eclipse: 24 Notícias wrote that the path "não atravessará Portugal" and RFM that it will not be total "em nenhum ponto do país". Some Portuguese headlines since then have suggested that the country will go "completely dark"; it won't. What Portugal gets is the deepest partial eclipse in years, from about 80% in the north to 99% on the Algarve coast. Our map of the path of totality, country by country shows the whole track from the Atlantic to Somalia.

Map: how much of the Sun is covered in Portugal on 2 August 2027, and where totality is Dashed lines show where 80%, 85%, 90% and 95% of the Sun is covered at maximum, computed by Tember with skyfield (DE421). The dark band in the south-east is the path of totality in Spain. All of Portugal is outside it.80%85%90%95%BragançaPortoCoimbraGuardaLisbonÉvoraBejaLagosFaroSevilleCádizTarifa80.2%82.6%86.6%85.5%92.6%93.5%95.8%98.9%99.3%98.4%2 min 54 s4 min 38 sAtlantic OceanSPAINMOROCCOPath of totality (computed)Share of the Sun coveredTember, skyfield/DE421 · borders: Natural Earth
From about 80% in the far north to 99% on the Algarve coast: no part of Portugal is in the path of totality, which starts about 155 km east of Faro, around Cádiz.

What time is the eclipse in Lisbon, Porto, Faro and my city?

On the mainland the Moon starts to cover the Sun at about 08:40, the maximum is at about 09:45 and it ends at about 10:55 (summer time, WEST, UTC+1). Madeira is on the same clock and about ten minutes earlier; the Azores are one hour behind (UTC+0 in summer), so their maximum is at about 08:33 local time. The Sun is 35° to 37° high on the mainland, in the east, so you need a view free of buildings towards the east.

Partial solar eclipse of 2 August 2027 in Portugal: city by city

City Starts Maximum Ends Sun covered at maximum Sun altitude
Faro 08:40 09:45 10:57 99.3% 36°
Tavira 08:40 09:45 10:57 99.0% 36°
Sagres 08:39 09:44 10:55 99.1% 35°
Albufeira 08:39 09:44 10:56 99.0% 35°
Vila Real de Santo António 08:40 09:45 10:57 98.8% 36°
Lagos 08:39 09:44 10:55 98.9% 35°
Portimão 08:39 09:44 10:56 98.8% 35°
Beja 08:40 09:45 10:57 95.8% 36°
Évora 08:41 09:46 10:56 93.5% 36°
Setúbal 08:40 09:45 10:55 93.5% 35°
Lisbon 08:40 09:44 10:55 92.6% 35°
Portalegre 08:42 09:46 10:57 90.6% 36°
Santarém 08:41 09:45 10:55 90.6% 35°
Leiria 08:41 09:45 10:55 88.4% 35°
Castelo Branco 08:42 09:47 10:57 88.4% 36°
Coimbra 08:42 09:46 10:55 86.6% 35°
Guarda 08:43 09:47 10:57 85.5% 36°
Viseu 08:43 09:47 10:56 84.8% 36°
Aveiro 08:42 09:46 10:55 84.7% 35°
Porto 08:43 09:46 10:55 82.6% 35°
Vila Real 08:44 09:47 10:56 82.1% 36°
Braga 08:43 09:47 10:55 81.0% 35°
Viana do Castelo 08:43 09:46 10:55 80.3% 35°
Bragança 08:45 09:48 10:57 80.2% 37°
Porto Santo 08:34 09:35 10:44 98.3% 27°
Funchal 08:33 09:35 10:43 97.2% 26°
Ponta Delgada 07:36 08:33 09:35 87.2% 19°
Angra do Heroísmo 07:37 08:33 09:34 82.3% 18°
Horta 07:37 08:32 09:33 81.6% 17°

Computed by Tember with skyfield and NASA JPL's DE421 ephemeris for each city centre. Times are local: WEST (UTC+1) on the mainland and in Madeira, UTC+0 in the Azores. Cross-checks: National Eclipse gives Lisbon 92.5% with the maximum at 09:44:52 (ours 92.6%, 09:44:52); Timeanddate, as quoted by Postal, gives Faro 99.27% (ours 99.29%); eclipse-solaire.fr gives Porto 82.5%, Coimbra 86.5% and Braga 80.9%; Eclipseando gives Funchal 97.2% and Ponta Delgada 87.2%. All agree with ours within about 0.1 point.

Even 99% is not totality. The last 1% of the Sun is still bright enough to damage your eyes and to keep the sky in daylight, so in Portugal your eclipse glasses stay on for the whole eclipse, from start to finish. In the Algarve you will notice the light turning strange and cooler, and pinhole images and tree shadows become thin crescents, but the corona only appears inside the path.

Where is the nearest totality to Portugal?

In the province of Cádiz, Spain. The northern edge of the path runs between Chipiona and Rota, so the further south-east you go, the longer the darkness lasts. From Faro to Cádiz is about 310 to 315 km by road and a little over three hours (Rome2rio and 1map), about 155 km in a straight line. Remember that Spain is one hour ahead of Portugal: totality in Cádiz starts at 10:45 Spanish time, which is 09:45 on your Portuguese watch.

Totality closest to Portugal

Place Totality Totality starts (local time) Same moment in Portugal (WEST) Sun altitude
Chipiona a few seconds (on the edge) 10:46 CEST 09:46 37°
Rota 2 min 13 s 10:45:44 CEST 09:45:44 37°
Cádiz 2 min 54 s 10:45:26 CEST 09:45:26 37°
Conil de la Frontera 4 min 01 s 10:45:01 CEST 09:45:01 38°
Tarifa 4 min 38 s 10:45:10 CEST 09:45:10 38°
Tangier (Morocco) 4 min 50 s 08:44:42 GMT 09:44:42 38°

Computed by Tember (skyfield, DE421). Published values agree within a few seconds: Orbital Radar gives Cádiz 2 min 45 s to 2 min 55 s and Algeciras 4 min 26 s, Postal gives Tarifa about 4 min 39 s, Eclipseando gives Rota 2 min 10 s and RFM gives Tangier about 4 min 51 s. Huelva (98.7%), Ayamonte (98.8%) and Seville (98.4%) are outside the path, whatever some articles say about Seville. Morocco has used GMT all year since September 2026, one hour behind Portugal in summer.

Three practical points. Leave early: the whole of southern Spain will be on the road that morning, and the eclipse is at breakfast time. Have a plan B for low cloud: Anderson says Cádiz, near the northern edge, had "an 88 percent frequency of sun-visible days" in his survey, while Barbate, Atlanterra and Tarifa "averaged a less promising 74 percent", because sea fog and the Levante wind affect the Strait. And book early: our guide to Cádiz and Tarifa on eclipse day covers the edge of the path, the weather and the viewing spots in detail, and our Spanish city guide lists every Andalusian town.

Tember eclipse glasses in four frame colours (Photo: Tember)
In Portugal the eclipse is partial everywhere, so certified glasses stay on from start to finish (Photo: Tember)

Will the weather be good in Portugal on 2 August?

In the south, very likely. IPMA's climate normals (1971 to 2000) give Faro 344.9 hours of sunshine in August and 25.3 days with at least 80% sunshine, and Lisbon 337.4 hours and 22.0 such days. The north is different: Porto airport (Pedras Rubras) recorded an average of 11.6 days with fog in August over the same period, so a grey morning on the northern coast is a real possibility. If the coast is grey on the day, head inland. Average August highs are 29.2 °C in Faro, 28.8 °C in Lisbon and 24.8 °C in Porto (IPMA 1991 to 2020).

Is 2 August during the school holidays?

Yes. Under the 2026/2027 school calendar, classes end on 4 June 2027 for the 9th, 11th and 12th years, on 11 June for the 5th to 8th and 10th years and on 30 June for pre-school and the 1st cycle (as reported by Postal). So the eclipse falls in the middle of the summer holidays, on a Monday morning: plan it as a family event, and for children follow the safety rules below closely.

How do you watch safely in Portugal?

For the 12 August 2026 eclipse, the Direção-Geral da Saúde (DGS) recommended glasses certified for solar viewing that meet "a norma internacional ISO 12312-2" and carry the CE mark. It also advised that young children should never look directly at the Sun, even with eclipse glasses, and that X-ray film, dark glass, lenses and similar objects are not safe to look through. The national Eclipse 2026 programme added a checklist: a visible CE mark, a reference to Regulation (EU) 2016/425, a Declaration of Conformity (QR code or link) and no holes or scratches. Never look through binoculars, a telescope or a camera without a proper solar filter on the front.

Last time, demand caught people out. RTP reported that the free Ciência Viva and ZEISS glasses ran out on 5 August 2026, a week before the eclipse, and pharmacies in Bragança sold out too. In Spain, consumer authorities withdrew several models in the days before the eclipse because their filters let through too little light (too dark), not because they were fakes; our article on fake and non-compliant eclipse glasses explains what that case teaches. If you kept your 2026 glasses, check them first: can 2026 eclipse glasses be reused in 2027?

Tember glasses are certified to EN ISO 12312-2:2015 and carry the CE mark; the EU type-examination certificate and test documents are on our compliance and test documents page, and our ISO 12312-2 guide shows how to check any certificate. Packs run from 4 to 100 pairs, enough for a family or a whole group. See the glasses. Schools, councils and groups: bulk eclipse glasses.

When is the next eclipse in Portugal after 2027?

Soon. On 26 January 2028 an annular eclipse, a "ring of fire" in which the Moon is slightly too small to cover the Sun, crosses southern Portugal and Madeira late in the afternoon, shortly before sunset. Wikipedia's tables give annularity in Funchal from 16:46:43 to 16:53:44 (7 min 01 s), in Albufeira from 16:51:44 to 16:58:27 and in Beja from 16:52:51 to 16:57:11 (Portuguese winter time, UTC+0); Lisbon is just outside the ring, with about 81% of the Sun covered. Spain's National Geographic Institute (IGN) also describes it as happening shortly before sunset, with the Sun low. A total eclipse is much rarer: the Eclipse 2026 programme gives 26 October 2144, seen from São Miguel in the Azores, as the next one in Portugal.

Frequently asked questions

Will the 2 August 2027 eclipse be total in Portugal?

No. The whole country sees a partial eclipse: about 99% in the Algarve, 93% in Lisbon, 83% in Porto and 80% in Bragança. The nearest totality is in the province of Cádiz, Spain, and in northern Morocco.

What time is the eclipse in Lisbon?

It starts at about 08:40, peaks at 09:44 with about 92.6% of the Sun covered and ends at about 10:55, Portuguese summer time (WEST).

Where in Portugal will the eclipse be biggest?

On the Algarve coast: Faro gets about 99.3%, Sagres 99.1%, Tavira and Albufeira about 99.0%. It is still a partial eclipse, so glasses stay on the whole time.

How far is it from the Algarve to totality?

From Faro to Cádiz is about 310 to 315 km by road, a little over three hours. Cádiz gets about 2 min 54 s of totality, Conil about 4 minutes and Tarifa about 4 min 38 s. Spain is one hour ahead of Portugal.

Can I take my eclipse glasses off in Portugal at the maximum?

No. Outside the path of totality the Sun is never fully covered, and even 1% of it can damage your eyes. Keep certified glasses on from the start to the end of the eclipse.

Are Madeira or the Azores in the path of totality?

No. Funchal sees about 97% and Porto Santo about 98%; the path passes about 70 km from the islands. In the Azores, Ponta Delgada sees about 87%, early in the morning.

Sources

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